Baby Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers - Pros and Cons of Each

Are Disposable Diapers Better?

Discussing the pros and cons of cloth diapers versus disposable diapers is a newer topic, as many years ago, there was no choice. Disposable diapers came around in the 1940s, although many mothers continued to use cloth diapers for many years after that.

The introduction of convenient, disposable diapers must have seemed a godsend for many mothers who were tired of dealing with messy, cloth diapers. Still, with renewed interest in cutting costs and reducing waste (pun intended) in the environment, cloth diapers are making a comeback.

A much better cloth diaper than the diapers of old.... | Source

Are Cloth Diapers Coming Back?

Many mothers used to make their own cloth diapers. I remember my mom’s homemade diapers, cut to fit, and then pinned on with huge safety pins. The cloth was thin, unlike the new, multi-layered cloth diapers of today, so it was necessary to then put a thick plastic panty over the whole thing to hold in everything that came out…so to speak.

How Does a Diaper Service Work?

Over the years, cloth diapers have improved, and there are diaper services that will even pick up dirty diapers and deliver clean ones. If you’re trying to save money by using cloth diapers, using a diaper service will defeat that purpose. Using cloth diapers can be much cheaper than using disposables—IF you launder the diapers yourself. Some mothers feel it’s worth the extra money to hire a diaper service or to simply buy disposables to avoid the hassle of dealing with cloth diapers at all.

How to Clean Cloth Diapers

For instance, if you don’t use a laundering service, you have to rinse the diapers and store them somewhere until you have a load to wash. How do you keep the smell away? Some mothers, after dumping out the contents, toss the soiled diapers into a large container of water and detergent to soak there until they have a load to wash.

For those who don’t have a washing machine at home, cloth diapers probably aren’t even an option, as you’d have to wash them by hand (gross) or let them smell up the whole room by the time you take them to a laundromat.

Going green with cloth diapers drying outside on the line! | Source

Should You Choose Cloth Diapers to Go Green?

Another reason some mothers choose cloth is in an effort to go green. Disposable diapers don’t decompose. Imagine all those dirty diapers in a landfill! On the other hand, a lot of energy goes into continual laundering of cloth diapers, whether you clean them yourself or have a service do it for you. While considering the effect on the environment is important, there are other factors to consider.

Where to Register for Baby Gifts

Where is the Best Place to Register for Baby Gifts?Have you registered for baby gifts? Where do you usually go to purchase baby items for others? I am finding more and more often that the baby shower invitations I get include the note “registered at Target."

Are Cloth or Disposable Diapers Better for Diaper Rash?

Some mothers claim that there is more of a chance of diaper rash with disposables because the fabric doesn’t breathe as well. Furthermore, since cloth diapers get soaked more easily, they have to be changed more frequently, which also cuts down on the chance of diaper rash. However, changing more frequently is a con, as cloth diapers have a reputation for drooping and leaking, more so than disposable diapers. There are other mothers, too, who report that their babies get diaper rashes with cloth, too, no matter how often the diapers are changed.

Today’s cloth diapers, though, have evolved from those of old. There are newer— more expensive—cloth diapers with high-quality pre-folds and Velcro covers. With these types of diapers, there are no droops, no leaks, and no need for safety pins. Quality cloth diapers may be an expensive investment up front, but they are becoming much easier to use.

Which Diapers Are More Convenient?

Another factor to consider is convenience. For working moms, there’s the time factor, and even if mom is committed to using cloth diapers, who is going to deal with the cloth diapers when mommy is away? There is a lot to consider when deciding between cloth or disposable diapers.

It seems that it all comes down to money, time, and tolerance. Which option is more affordable for you? Do you have time to mess with continually laundering cloth diapers? And can you tolerate dealing with the nasty part of cloth diapers? But can you afford continually purchasing expensive disposable diapers? Regardless of which camp you’re in regarding cloth versus disposable diapers, you can save on both types with Diaper Couponsat Diaper.com. Shopping online with online coupons will help you save on diapers, diaper bags, baby wipes, and even nursery items. Peruse their site for your choice of diapers and any other items you might need for your baby.

Comments

No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.

sending

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Good point, Marie! I'm glad you love cloth diapers. They seem the way to go for many. Using both may be best, depending on situations. Thanks for commenting!

Marie Johnson

6 years ago

I love cloth diapers! I still use disposables on occasion.

We must also remember that disposables take resources like water and energy to make. It's not just the laundering of cloth that uses water and energy.

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Thanks, teaches. The newer cloth diapers ARE so different and improved, aren't they? so cute, too. Thanks for your comments!

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Cardisa--Nappies! How cute! That's neat how mothers in Jamaica do things. I can imagine the white diapers on the line. Very cool! And the blue soap--neat!

Dianna Mendez

6 years ago

Today's diapers are a great improvement over the old, white heavy cloth of old. They are really attractive also. I do agree with mom's effort to go green, what a great way to save natural resources, as one child can use a ton of diaper. Great topic and interesting.

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Great input, Almostnatural.I bet you'll have a great hub! I'm sure you'll figure it out. Thanks for coming by!

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

You're funny, fpher! I'm not that young either. haha. A good friend of mine says cloth has come a long way and isn't too hard anymore. I'm sure disposables are easier though. Wow, my mom worked full-time with 4 kids, too--not all the years growing up, but a lot of them. Thanks for the great comments!

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Great input, Millionaire Tips. You're right. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Sounds like you found the right balance for your daughter. Thanks for the comments!

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

CC--A friend of mine says the cloth are pretty easy to deal with these days. Of course, you will have a little sewage to deal with--heehee. Thanks for coming by!

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Hey, jpcmc, whatever works best for your baby is the choice every parent should make, I think!

Carolee Samuda

6 years agofrom Jamaica

In Jamaica most mothers don't have a washing machine and there is nothing as beautiful as seeing a line full of white diapers, we call then "nappies". We use what is called cake soap, a bar soap made specifically for washing white clothes. This soap has a mineral called "blue" which gives the blue colour to the soap and makes the diapers really white. I think it's the most economical way to go.

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Dzy--Great information. I'm glad you shared all that. It gives more info for moms to digest. Great story about your baby! Enjoyed your comments so much!

Almostnatural

6 years ago

I liked your info and the way it was presented. We use cloth and disposable and I can see both sides. As far as a diaper service...I think it might almost save me money as recently I have had a hard time getting the diapers clean. We moved almost a year ago and I can't get my washing system right for this type of water. I am sure a super hot wash would be great, but I can't do that whereas a service could. So I rinse and rinse and rinse some more. Working on a solution, which will be in a hub I post soon.

As far as "extra changes" "keeping baby drier" etc. We have perfected the "stuffing" in our diapers and he can go with an average of 4-5 changes a day. (he's 2) Would someone using disposables change their baby less? At school they change him just as often and he wears disposables there. 12 changes in a day for a 6 month old is pretty normal, cloth or disposable. As soon as the baby wets in a disposable, chemicals are activated. Who wants those sitting on their baby's skin? My son has not had a real diaper rash since we switched to cloth at 8 months. He does get a little red from the disposables at school.

Lastly, HE prefers cloth. And he loves picking out what he is going to wear. (its going to be a nice lead in to picking out what underwear he wants to wear and not get wet)

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Great input, Ruchira. Thanks! I'm sure it's a very tough decision for many people. Lots of factors involved. Thanks for sharing it!

Paula

6 years agofrom Beautiful Upstate New York

My own personal experience? Well, Victoria....I did my first two babies on CLOTH......the 2nd. two on disposable.

With my first 2.....I didn't work outside the home (You're too young to remember this, but June Cleaver did not have a job)

After my 2nd 2....I worked full-time with FOUR darlings to mother.... The two younger ones were very lucky I remembered to diaper them at all..............UP++

Shasta Matova

6 years agofrom USA

I've used both, but it was many years ago, before the new-fangled cloth diapers. There were cloth diapers sold at the time, that had layers and were designed to make it more convenient, but still needed plastic pants to cover them. I found that washing them wasn't as bad as I had envisioned. I just washed a load every day or every other day. The machine did all the work anyway.

The issue was getting the babysitter to use them often enough, I wound up switching back and forth to disposable because of the convenience. She said she would be fine using them, and did use them, but my daughter got a diaper rash. Disposable for the babysitter, cloth for me. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing situation.

Cynthia Calhoun

6 years agofrom Western NC

Great hub, as always, Victoria. I don't have kids, but I feel confident in saying I'd use cloth. I'm not looking forward to dealing with the "sewage" as DzyMsLizzy says (hehe), but I care deeply for this planet and hope that I can do my little part from filling up landfills with all those plastic diapers filled with crap. (hehe)

JP Carlos

6 years agofrom Quezon CIty, Phlippines

My baby uses lots of disposable diapers. In a day, she can use as much as 6-8 pcs. More than just the convenience, it keeps my baby drier compared to cloth diapers.

AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn

6 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

MsLofton--glad the hub was helpful!

Liz Elias

6 years agofrom Oakley, CA

You have both sides of the argument well covered, but I fall on the side of cloth all the way. When my eldest was a baby, we did have to go to the laundromat, and no, it was not fun. However, she was susceptible to horrid, horrid diaper rashes that came out of nowhere, and needed prescription ointment to heal. That only happened with disposables, regardless of frequency of change.

She was 2 and a half years old when the second one arrived. I never even tried to go for disposable, and by that time, we had our own washing machine.

By age 3, after watching carefully, and without my realizing it, she had learned how to change a diaper. One morning, I overslept, and ran in to change the baby (then about 8 months old). I found the task already done, pins and all! And no screaming "stuck" baby had awakened me.

You have to look at this: what lands in a diaper is sewage. Sewage is handled in water treatment facilities, or is pumped into a septic tank. With disposables, there are tons of raw sewage being dumped daily into landfills, where the contents can leach into the groundwater. The solid waste is supposed to be emptied into the toilet prior to disposal in the trash, but there are far too many moms who don't bother with this step.

With the newer high-efficiency machines, and low-suds detergents, lower phosphates in the suds, there is less of an environmental issue with laundry.

Ruchira

6 years agofrom United States

good pointers for each of them, vicki.

This was such a debatable hub and I liked how you ended it...in a passive way asking our intelligent readers to make a choice and by giving them options from where to purchase either of them.

PErsonally I would have loved to go with cloth diapers but, wish I had help to clean and scrub those dirty diapers 'cause it would have been good for the environment.

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)